Chương 55: Return Fire

Soon, under Aren's precise guidance, Machi cleared the entire western area. From time to time, Aren also took her to deal with enemies the other teams had missed. That was unavoidable. The others had only been exposed to Nen for a few days. Two people defeating dozens of mafia members with machine guns was already impressive. That was in an open area full of cover. If they fought in a sealed space, one encounter could be enough to kill them. Winning was already good. Missing a few enemies was normal.

To protect their confidence, Aren never let them know he was helping from the shadows. He was not trying to be a nanny. Strictly speaking, they had come here to help him. This was his private deal with Nostrade, so the others had no real obligation to participate. Since they were helping him, quietly smoothing out a few problems was reasonable. As the mountain's gunmen were killed one after another, the Troupe shifted from fighting while retreating to actively hunting.

With Aren supporting them in secret, the Fanobi men spread across the mountain were soon slaughtered.

"Yo, you finally made it." Aren sat on a lounge chair outside the manor at the summit, drinking juice and looking at Chrollo's group, who arrived covered in blood and wounds.

"Wow. Why do all of you look so rough?" The chair had been created by Aren, of course. Machi, who had been with him the whole time, could not help laughing softly. Aren turned and winked at her. Chrollo and the others looked at Aren and Machi, both clean and comfortable, then down at their own bloodstained clothes. To make things worse, Aren was teasing them. For a moment, they all wanted to beat him up. After considering the difference in combat power, they gave up immediately.

'Who else is as ridiculous as you?' Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. That was the only complaint they could keep inside.

"Hmph. Of course," Uvogin said proudly.

"Those weaklings? I can take care of them whenever I want." He would never mention being chased like a dog by dozens of machine guns. He and Nobunaga had already reached a silent agreement. What happened today would go with them to the grave.

"A firefly thinks it can rival the moon," Feitan said with a cold snort. Aren had not expected Feitan to have such talent for dramatic boasting. Franklin's expression, however, made it clear that Feitan's dignity had also been hard-won. Chrollo glanced at Aren.

"Our area is clear as well." With Chrollo's intelligence, he had obviously noticed Aren cleaning up after them. The number of enemies did not match the number who had originally surrounded them. Chrollo had estimated the incoming forces from the start. The gap was obvious. The traces left in the environment also hinted at Aren's presence. Since Aren did not intend to mention it, Chrollo politely let it pass. Aren clapped his hands twice, drawing everyone's attention.

"All right. Since every area has been cleared, it is time to meet their boss." He stepped first toward the manor. The others followed, killing intent rolling off them. The outside of the manor was empty, but Aren did not believe the Fanobi Family had given up. They had probably pulled their remaining forces inside and were waiting to ambush the intruders. Aren lifted his foot and kicked the manor door inward. As expected, the Fanobi Family had hidden a large number of men inside.

"The monsters are in! Open fire!" A panicked voice came from the second floor. Mafia members appeared along the railing and fired at the Troupe without hesitation. Among them were three RPG launchers. Facing that firepower, Aren laughed softly and stepped in front of the Troupe. He opened both hands. Limitless Technique activated. Unlike its usual automatic mode, this time Aren expanded the barrier more than ten centimeters from his body, wide enough to cover the entire Troupe.

The limit of a Nen ability depended on the user. Increase the output, and the area could be expanded. Strange spatial ripples spread through the air as bullets struck Limitless Technique. Every bullet, every rocket, every object fired at them froze in midair. Nothing got through.

"M-monster! What kind of sorcery is this? I don't believe it! Keep firing! Hurry up and blow him apart!" The panicked voice sounded again, now filled with fear. Waves of gunmen took turns firing at Aren. Even the RPG teams launched twelve rounds in four volleys. Aren grew annoyed. He flipped both hands and shouted impatiently.

"Return." The bullets and rockets frozen in midair turned around, pointing back toward the gunmen on the second floor. The men above did not need another order. They fired even more frantically. Some even stopped rotating shifts and fired together. All they did was add more bullets to the storm that would kill them.

"Go." At Aren's command, everything became calm. The front row of gunmen was shredded by a metal storm. Then twelve RPG rounds detonated across the second floor. The entire front of the second floor was blasted apart, and part of the ceiling and roof began to collapse. Firelight, smoke, and dust swallowed the space. Aren frowned at the visibility. Ren. His aura burst outward. A wave of force rose from beneath his feet and swept in every direction.

In the original future, Hisoka had once used Nen to blow away a receptionist's hat when blocking Gon and Killua from entering Heavens Arena's two-hundredth floor. Nen alone carried impact. The force of Aren's massive aura reserve swept away the dust and debris stirred up by the explosions. The ruined manor was revealed.